crizzle's review against another edition
3.0
The author gives literary characters through the ages the ability to text. Unfortunately, I am definitely not as well-read as her, and these read like an inside joke between the author and reader- I was wishing I knew more of these characters. There were a lot of good ones I have read, though, and the two I laughed aloud on were Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe. Hear the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells. Oh, and the Outsiders: "we’re just a bunch of regular beautiful guys who like to read poetry and get in knife fights". If there were half stars, it'd be a 2.5.
jsdaly's review against another edition
3.0
Clever premise, mediocre execution. This would have been a better book if the author had stuck to a few of the strongest and most well-known characters and then expanded their sections to include more of the plot. Expecting the same reader to find humor in short exchanges from both Plato and the Babysitter's Club is a bit of a stretch.
Borrowed this from the library and read it within a few hours. Glad I didn't spend money.
Borrowed this from the library and read it within a few hours. Glad I didn't spend money.
canra's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
shogins's review against another edition
4.0
(I received this this as a giveaway from Goodreads.)
Mallory Ortberg is really really funny. The Toast is probably my favorite thing on the internet. This book was good - it was funny, I enjoyed reading it, but by very nature of what it is it files trifle-y. This is not a book I'll probably ever reread, but I did thoroughly enjoy the hour or so I spent reading it!
I actually thought the ones about classics were on the whole, funnier than some of the ones about say The Hunger Games and Sweet Valley High. There are MUCH funnier things to point out about how everyone in Sweet Valley High is a murdering sociopathic narcissist. BUT, the ones about classics like Wuthering Heights (which ugh) and Dickens and Austen? Pretty great. The Prufrock one was probably my favorite!
Mallory Ortberg is really really funny. The Toast is probably my favorite thing on the internet. This book was good - it was funny, I enjoyed reading it, but by very nature of what it is it files trifle-y. This is not a book I'll probably ever reread, but I did thoroughly enjoy the hour or so I spent reading it!
I actually thought the ones about classics were on the whole, funnier than some of the ones about say The Hunger Games and Sweet Valley High. There are MUCH funnier things to point out about how everyone in Sweet Valley High is a murdering sociopathic narcissist. BUT, the ones about classics like Wuthering Heights (which ugh) and Dickens and Austen? Pretty great. The Prufrock one was probably my favorite!
kfont42's review against another edition
3.0
Texts from Jane Eyre is a quick, light read. The reviews on the back oversell it. It's cute, and some of the sections were clever, but overall, it was just okay. I'm glad I borrowed it from the library rather than buying it.
tschmitty's review against another edition
3.0
I did skim the ones I had not read or were not familiar with, but this was light, clever, and fun.